The Impact of Anxiety in Mothers of Preterm Infants on Mother-Infant Attachment: The Mediating Roles of Social Support and Father's Anxiety

doi:10.12104/j.issn.1674-4748.2025.16.008

Abstract：Objective: To explore the mediating roles of social support and father's anxiety in the relationship between maternal anxiety and mother-infant attachment in preterm infants. Methods: A convenience sampling method was used to select 276 pairs of parents of preterm infants admitted to the hospital from April to December 2023 as research subjects. One month after discharge, the fathers of preterm infants were surveyed using the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale. Mothers were surveyed using a general information questionnaire, the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, the Social Support Rating Scale, and the Chinese version of the Mother-Infant Attachment Scale. Statistical analysis was performed on the survey results, and a mediation model was established and validated for the roles of father's anxiety and social support in the relationship between maternal anxiety and mother-infant attachment. Results: The scores for father's anxiety, mother's anxiety, social support, and mother-infant attachment were (54.45±10.78), (58.96±11.93), (42.67±7.29), and (78.83±14.72) respectively. Pearson correlation analysis showed that the mother-infant attachment scores were negatively correlated with the father's anxiety scores and the mother's anxiety scores (P<0.05), and positively correlated with the social support, subjective support, objective support, and support utilization scores (P<0.05). The father's anxiety scores were positively correlated with the mother's anxiety scores (r=0.521, P<0.05). Maternal anxiety had a direct negative predictive effect on mother-infant attachment (β=-0.302, P<0.05). Father's anxiety and social support played a partial mediating role in the relationship between maternal anxiety and mother-infant attachment, with an effect proportion of 37.34% (-0.180/-0.482). Conclusion: Father's anxiety and social support are mediating variables between maternal anxiety and mother-infant attachment in preterm infants. Clinical nursing staff can reduce the anxiety of fathers of preterm infants and improve the level of social support through communication intervention and family intervention, thereby reducing maternal anxiety and enhancing mother-infant attachment, thus promoting the healthy growth of preterm infants.